Wisconsin statehouse windows are being boarded up

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - State officials are bracing for any potential unrest at the capitol building in downtown Madison.

Crews have started boarding the windows outside the statehouse. By late Monday morning, wooden sheets and braces lined up next to each window along the first floor of the building.

A Dept. of Administration spokesperson told NBC15 “proactive cautionary measures” are happening in state capitals across the country – and Madison is no exception. She explained they plan to cover all exterior ground floor windows.

With an eye toward keeping Capitol Police safe and secure, the spokesperson added the agency does not make public the details of its security measures, nor does it comment on potential threats.

NBC15 reached out to Gov. Tony Evers’ office about the possibility of protests and a potential state response. The governor’s office declined to release a statement and referred us back to the Dept. of Administration.

Also on Monday, ABC News’ Aaron Katersky reported an internal FBI bulletin warned of armed protests being planned in all 50 state capitols between January 16 and January 20, which will be the day President-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office.

State Capitol Protests

On January 6, as protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol, demonstrations were taking place in state capitals across the country, including Wisconsin’s. In Madison, cars and trucks adorned with Trump and U.S. flags for several hours Wednesday, blaring their horns.

In some states, such as Oklahoma, Georgia, Arizona, and Washington state, maskless protesters were seen carrying guns along with others waving signs adorned with slogans like, “Stop the steal” and “Four more years.”

Most demonstrations were peaceful — some of them quite small — and only a few arrests were reported. There were some scuffles with counterprotesters in states like Ohio and California, and a newspaper photographer was pepper-sprayed by a protester in Utah.

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